Future ‘Gateway’ to the India–China Economic Corridor: A Strategic Approach

In the beginning of the second week of February 2019, Ladakh became the third division within Jammu and Kashmir to be demarcated as a separate administrative and revenue division, with Jammu division and Kashmir being the other two.

What is more interesting than the recent decentralisation, is the uniqueness of Ladakh’s geographical location, one which is positioned to not just act as a bridge between India and China, but also enable India to be interconnected to the ‘heart and soul of [the] Eurasian landmass’. This will enable Ladakh to transform and help ensure that India’s economic, energy and security imperatives are met. The possibilities of integrating into China’s regional and foreign economic policy initiatives, mainly the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), will open various avenues for India. This mainly posits a future ‘dehyphenation’ from the conventional Chinese conception of linking India with Pakistan, on a regional as well as global level.